steering Abarth 500 2010 Owner handbook (in English)

Dear Customer,
Thank you for choosing Abarth and congratulations on your choice of a Abarth.
We prepared this booklet to enable you to know each detail of your Abarth and use it correctly. Please, read it carefully
before driving your car. You will find information, tips and important warnings regarding the driving of your car to help you derive
the maximum from the technological features of your Abarth.
You are recommended to read carefully the warnings and indications, marked with the respective symbols:
personal safety;
the car’s wellbeing;
environmental protection.
The enclosed Warranty Booklet lists the services that Abarth offers to its Customers:
❒the Warranty Certificate with terms and conditions for maintaining its validity
❒the range of additional services available to Abarth Customers.
Best regards and happy motoring!
The special features of the new 500 Abarth make the car captivating through its unmistakeable appearance,
stylish yet traditional and, at the same time, practical in terms of performance and safety thanks to the new
elements that have been introduced. The miniskirts, the rear spoiler and the inclined connector to the underbody
improve the drag coefficient, the geometry and road holding at speed. The twin exhaust pipes are fitted at the
sides of the incline at the specular outlets of a single transversely mounted silencer. The front and rear
symmetrical air intakes are practical and the first ones allow the flow of air for cooling the two specular
intercoolers, while the second ones permit the outlet of the flow at the rear. The introduction of the TTC
system (Torque Transfer Control), which improves the transfer of engine torque to the wheels, makes the
vehicle safer and more pleasant to drive, especially when cornering. Comfort is improved thanks to the introduction
of the anti-roll bar which involves a reduction in shock absorber pressure thereby making the vehicle less rigid.
Every feature of the 500 Abarth passenger compartment, from the turbo analogue pressure gauge, the
steering wheel with three spokes and shaped grips, the aluminium pedal assembly, the gear lever with an
ergonimically designed grip and the seats with head restraints built-into the backrest,
is designed to give the car a sporty appearance.
This Owner Handbook contains descriptions of the various new 500 Abarth trim levels therefore you should find
the information that relates to the version you have purchased.
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SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE
CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
YOUR CARDASHBOARD ...................................................................... 3
SYMBOLS ............................................................................... 4
THE FIAT CODE SYSTEM.................................................. 4
THE KEYS .............................................................................. 5
INSTRUMENT PANEL AND ONBOARD
INSTRUMENTS..................................................................... 9
MULTIFUNCTIONAL DISPLAY AND
RECONFIGURABLE MULTIFUNCTIONAL DISPLAY 12
TRIP COMPUTER ................................................................ 21
SEATS ...................................................................................... 23
HEAD RESTRAINTS.............................................................24
STEERING WHEEL .............................................................. 25
REARVIEW MIRRORS......................................................... 26
CLIMATE COMFORT.......................................................... 27
HEATING AND VENTILATION...................................... 28
MANUAL CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEM .................... 29
AUTOMATIC CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEM............. 31
EXTERNAL LIGHTS............................................................. 34
WINDOW WASHING....................................................... 35CEILING LIGHTS ................................................................. 36
CONTROLS........................................................................... 37
INTERIOR FITTINGS........................................................... 39
SUNROOF.............................................................................. 41
DOORS .................................................................................. 43
POWER WINDOWS........................................................... 45
BOOT ......................................................................................46
BONNET................................................................................. 49
ROOF RACK/SKI RACK .................................................... 51
HEADLIGHTS........................................................................ 51
ABS SYSTEM ......................................................................... 53
ESP SYSTEM ........................................................................... 54
EOBD SYSTEM ..................................................................... 57
“DUALDRIVE” ELECTRIC POWER
STEERING SYSTEM ............................................................. 58
SOUND SYSTEM.................................................................. 59
AT THE FILLING STATION ............................................. 61
PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT............................. 62
Y
Y Y Y
O O O O
U U U U
R R R R

C C C C
A A A A
R R R R
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SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE
CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
YOUR CAR
IGNITION
SWITCH fig. 7
The key can be turned to 3 different po-
sitions:
❒STOP: engine off, key extractable,
steering locked. Some electrical devices
(e.g. car radio, central door locking sys-
tem, etc.) are enabled
❒MAR: driving position. All electrical de-
vices are enabled
❒AVV: engine start.
The ignition switch is fitted with a safety sys-
tem that, if the engine does not start, forces
to return the ignition key to STOPbefore
repeating the starting operation.
Never extract the key while
the vehicle is moving. The
steering wheel would be locked as
soon as the steering wheel is turned.
This also applies to when the car is
towed.
It is absolutely forbidden to carry out
whatever after-market operation in-
volving steering system or steering col-
umn modifications (e.g.: installation
of anti-theft device) that could badly
affect performance and safety, cause
the lapse of warranty and also result
in non-compliance of the car with ho-
mologation requirements.
WARNING
fig. 7F0S0007Ab
STEERING COLUMN LOCK
Engaging
When the key is at STOP, remove the key
and turn the steering wheel until it locks.
Disengaging
Rock the steering wheel slightly as you
turn the ignition key to MAR.
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SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE
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WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
YOUR CAR
Average speed
This value shows the car average speed as
a function of the overall time elapsed since
the start of the new mission.
Travel time
This value shows the time elapsed since
the start of the new mission.
TRIP button fig. 15
Button TRIP, set on the right steering
column stalk, shall be used (with ignition
key on MAR) to display and to reset the
previously described values to start a new
mission:
– short push to display the different val-
ues;
– long push to reset and then start a new
mission.New mission
Reset can be:
– “manual” resetting by the user, by press-
ing the relevant button;
– “automatic” resetting, when the “Trip dis-
tance” reaches 9999.9 km or when the
“Travel time” reaches 99.59 (99 hours and
59 minutes);
– after disconnecting/reconnecting the
battery.
IMPORTANT The reset operation in the
presence of the screens concerning the
“Trip A” makes it possible to reset only
the information associated with this func-
tion.
IMPORTANT The reset operation in the
presence of the screens concerning the
“Trip B” makes it possible to reset only
the information associated with this func-
tion.Start of trip procedure
With ignition key on MAR, press and hold
button TRIPpressed for over 2 seconds
to reset.
Exit Trip
The TRIPfunction is over when all the
values have been displayed or holding the
button MENU
ESCpressed for longer
than 1 second.fig. 15F0S015Ab
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SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
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WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
YOUR CAR
Seat height adjustment
fig. 18
Operating lever Cit is possible to lift or
lower the rear area of the cushion to
achieve the most comfortable driving po-
sition.Backrest tilting fig. 19
To tilt the backrest, operate the lever D
(movement a) and push the backrest for-
ward until it locks (movement b); release
the lever Dand, pushing the backrest,
slide the seat forward (movement c).
SEATS
FRONT SEATS
fig. 16F0S0013m
fig. 17F0S0014m
Fore/aft adjustment fig. 16
Lift lever Aand push the seat forwards and
backwards: your arms should rest on the
steering wheel rim while you are driving.
All adjustments must be
made with the car station-
ary.
WARNING
After releasing the lever, al-
ways check that the seat is
locked on the guides by trying to
move it backwards and forth. If it is
not locked, the seat may move unex-
pectedly and make you lose control
of the car.
WARNING
fig. 18F0S0015m
fig. 19
2
34
6
5
1
DD
F0S0154m
Back rest angle adjustment fig. 17
Turn knob B.
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SAFETY
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CORRECT USE
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WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
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MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
YOUR CAR
STEERING WHEEL
It can be adjusted vertically (for versions/
markets, where provided).
For adjustment. bring the lever A-fig. 22
downward to position 2then position the
wheel and lock it bringing lever Ato po-
sition 1.
fig. 21F0S021Abfig. 22F0S022Ab
Perform these operations
only when the car is station-
ary and the engine is not running.
WARNING
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SAFETY
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CORRECT USE
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WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
YOUR CAR
WINDOW WASHING
The right stalk fig. 32controls windscreen
wiper/washer and heated rear window
wiper/washer operation.
WINDSCREEN WASHER/WIPER
The device can work only when the igni-
tion key is on MAR.
The stalk has 5 different positions (4
speeds):
Awindscreen wiper off.
Bintermittent.
Ccontinuous slow.
Dcontinuous fast.
Etemporary fast (unstable position).
The temporary fast function lasts as long
as you manually keep the stalk in that po-
sition. When released, the stalk will return
to position Aand the wiper will be auto-
matically stopped.“Smart washing” function
Pull the stalk towards the steering wheel
(unstable position) to operate the wind-
screen washer jet.
Keep the stalk pulled to activate with a sin-
gle movement the windscreen washer jet
and the windscreen wiper; the latter au-
tomatically turns on if you keep the stalk
pulled for over half a second. The wind-
screen wiper stops operating a few
strokes after releasing the stalk; a further
“cleaning stroke”, after a few seconds,
completes the wiping operation. “FOLLOW ME HOME”
DEVICE
This function allows the illumination of the
space in front of the car for a preset pe-
riod of time.
Activation
With the ignition key on STOPor re-
moved, pull the stalk towards the steering
wheel within 2 minutes from when the en-
gine is turned off.
At each movement of the stalk, the stay-
ing on of the lights is extended by 30 sec-
onds up to a maximum of 210 seconds;
then the lights are switched off automati-
cally.
Each time the stalk is operated, the warn-
ing light
3on the instrument panel
turns on and the display shows how long
the function remains active.
The warning light turns on the first time
the stalk is operated, and stays on until the
function is automatically deactivated. Each
time you operate the lever, only the per-
manence of lights increases.
Deactivation
Keep the stalk pulled towards the steer-
ing wheel for more than 2 seconds.
F0S032Abfig. 32
Do not use the windscreen
wiper to remove layers of
snow or ice from the wind-
screen. In such conditions, the
windscreen wiper may be subjected to
excessive stress and the motor protec-
tion which prevents operation for a few
seconds may trip. If the issue persists,
contact the Abarth Dealership.
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SAFETY
DEVICES
CORRECT USE
OF THE
CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
YOUR CAR
CONTROLS
SPORT FUNCTION CONTROL
fig. 33
When the SPORT button A-fig. 33is
pressed the sports driving setting is turned
on featuring more responsiveness during
acceleration, an increase in drive torque
and more precise steering with greater ef-
fort required on the steering wheel.
When the function is active, the message
SPORT is displayed on the instrument
panel. Press again the button to deactivate
the function and return to the standard
driving mode.
IMPORTANT Pressing SPORT, the func-
tion is active after about 5 seconds.
IMPORTANT When in SPORT mode, ac-
celeration may be abrupt, This is typical of
this mode.FRONT/REAR FOG LIGHTS
(where provided) fig. 33
To turn on the front/rear fog lights, use
the button Cas follows:
1° Pressure: front fog lights on
2° Pressure: rear fog lights on
3° Pressure: lights off
When the front fog lights are on, the
warning light
5turns on on the instru-
ment panel; when the rear fog lights are
on, the warning light
4turns on on the
instrument panel.
Front fog lights are turned on with low
beams on.
CD
MENU
FM ASAM 1 2 3 4 5 6 AUD
MP3 RND RPT TPM CD-IN EQ
LOUD AF LOC PTY TP TA RMB PBCD
BCA
F0S033Abfig. 33
HAZARD LIGHTS fig. 33
They turn on pressing the button B, re-
gardless of the position of the ignition key.
When the function is active, warning lights
Îand ¥on the panel blink.
To switch off, press again the button B.
The use of hazard lights is governed by the
Highway Code of the country you are in.
Keep to the rules.
Emergency braking
In the event of emergency braking the
emergency lights automatically turn on and
at the same time the lights
Îend ¥turn
on on the dashboard.
The function automatically turns off when
the emergency braking stops.
This function complies with the current ap-
plicable laws.
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SAFETY
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CORRECT USE
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WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
YOUR CAR
FAILURE INDICATIONS
Any failure is indicated by instrument pan-
el warning light
gcoming on together
with the message on the reconfigurable
multifunction display (for versions/mar-
kets, where provided) (see section
“Warning lights and messages”).
In the event of electric power steering sys-
tem failure, the car can be driven with me-
chanical steering.
IMPORTANT In some circumstances, fac-
tors independent from the electric pow-
er steering could cause the illumination of
the warning light
gon the instrument
panel.
“DUALDRIVE” ELECTRIC
POWER STEERING
SYSTEM
The car has an electrically operated pow-
er assisted system, that only works with
the ignition key in the MARposition and
the engine started, known as Dualdrive.
The electric power steering reduces the
effort on the steering wheel making town
driving and parking manoeuvres particu-
larly easy.
IMPORTANT In case of quick rotation of
the ignition switch, full power steering
functionality can be achieved after 1-2 sec-
onds.
When the SPORT function is turned on
(see “Controls” paragraph in this chapter)
the electric power steering assistance is
altered, increasing the sensitivity of the
steering wheel.
It is absolutely forbidden to
carry out whatever after-
market operation involving steering
system or steering column modifica-
tions (e.g.: installation of anti-theft
device) that could badly affect per-
formance and safety, cause the lapse
of warranty and also result in non-
compliance of the car with homolo-
gation requirements.
WARNING
Before servicing the car,
switch off the engine and re-
move the key from the ignition de-
vice, activating the steering lock, es-
pecially when car wheels do not
touch the ground. If this is not possi-
ble (if the key must be on MAR or the
engine must be running), remove the
main fuse which protects the electric
power steering.
WARNING
In this case, immediately stop the car, turn
off the engine for about 20 seconds and
then turn on again the engine. If the warn-
ing light
gis still on, along with the mes-
sage on the reconfigurable multifunction-
al display (for versions/markets, where
provided), contact Abarth Dealership.
IMPORTANT The steering may become
slightly stiff following parking manoeuvres
including a great deal of steering. This is
normal and caused by a system to prevent
motor overheating. No servicing is re-
quired. The power steering system will re-
turn to normal operation the next time
the car is used.
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CORRECT USE
OF THE
CAR
WARNING
LIGHTS AND
MESSAGES
IN AN
EMERGENCY
CAR
MAINTENANCE
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATIONS
INDEX
YOUR CAR
SAFETY
DEVICES
AIRBAGS
The car is provided with front air bags for
the driver and the passenger, driver’s
knees air bag and side bags - window bags.
FRONT AIRBAGS
The front airbags (driver’s, passenger’s,
driver’s knees air bags) have been designed
to protect the occupants in the event of
head-on crashes of medium-high severity,
by placing the cushion between the occu-
pant and the steering wheel or dashboard.
Front air bags are designed to protect
car’s occupants in front crashes and there-
fore non-activation in other types of col-
lisions (side collisions, rear shunts, roll-
overs, etc.) is not a system malfunction.
An electronic control unit will make the
bag inflate in the event of a frontal crash.
The bag will inflate instantaneously placing
itself between the front occupant’s body
and the structures which could cause in-
jury. It will deflate immediately afterwards.
The front airbags (driver’s, passenger’s,
driver’s knees air bags) are not a replace-
ment of but complementary to the belts,
which you are recommended to always
wear, as specified by law in Europe and
most non-European countries.In the event of a collision, a person not
wearing a seat belt may be thrown forward
and come into contact with the bag before
it has fully opened. The protection offered
by the cushion is reduced in such a case.
Front air bags may not be activated in the
following situations:
❒in collisions against highly deformable
objects not affecting the car front sur-
face (e.g. bumper collision against guard
rail, etc.);
❒car penetration under other vehicles or
protective barriers (e.g. trucks or guard
rails);
they could not provide any additional pro-
tection compared with seat belts, so their
activation would be improper. No de-
ployment in such cases is consequently not
the sign of a fault.
Do not apply stickers or oth-
er objects on the steering
wheel, on the dashboard in the pas-
senger side airbag area, on side up-
holstery on roof and on the seats. Do
not place objects (e.g. cell phones) on
the passenger side dashboard because
these could interfere with the correct
opening of the airbag and cause se-
vere injury to occupants.
WARNING
The front airbags (driver’s, passenger’s,
driver’s knees air bags) are designed and
calibrated to protect the front seat pas-
sengers who wear the safety belts.
Their volume at the moment of maximum
inflation fills most space between the
steering wheel and the driver, between
the lower post guard and the knees on
passenger side and between the dash-
board and the passenger.
The airbags are not deployed in the event
of front collisions of low severity (for
which the withholding action of the seat
belts is sufficient). Safety belts must always
be used. In the event of frontal crash they
ensure the correct positioning of the oc-
cupant.
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